1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to plastic support stands that are used with cardboard boxes in which pizzas are delivered or sold after they have been cooked. The support prevents the top of the box from touching the pizza when the boxes are stacked one on top of the other.
2. Art Related to Invention
Plastic support stands for pizza boxes are known and generally comprise a horizontal platform with three legs of equal length affixed to the bottom of the platform and extending perpendicular therefrom. Such stands are generally made of inexpensive plastic through a molding process. The platform is generally circular having a diameter of about 2 inches while the legs are typically about 1 xc2xd inches. Such supports are usually placed on the pizza in the middle of the pizza and are used to prevent the top of the box from touching the cooked pizza when another box is placed on top of it. In other words, they provide support for the top of the box.
One of the problems associated with such pizza stands is that they take up a lot of space when they are shipped from the manufacturer to the pizzeria. Although they are light in weight, generally less than 2 ounces, because of their flat platform and the legs, they tend to take up a large volume, most of which is air. As will be appreciated, large volume leads to an added expense for shipping purposes.
Additionally, for storage purposes in the pizzeria, the fact that the support stands are bulky, results in them taking up a lot of space in the pizzeria.
As will be appreciated, space is expensive, not only for the pizzeria but also for the manufacturer who is shipping the supports.
There is a need to reduce the volume taken up by such supports and to reduce the cost of not only storage but also of shipping.
A stackable pizza box support has now been invented. By allowing the pizza support to be stacked, less space is used for packaging. This decrease in space provides a cost savings to the manufacturer in his shipping cost as well as a cost savings in storage for the manufacturer at his warehouse and to the pizzeria owner in his shop. In fact, it has been found that by employing the pizza support of the present invention, a 50% reduction in volume is obtained. This means a 200% savings on shipping costs and storage costs because the volume of the pizza supports has been reduced by at least half.
The present invention provides for stacking of the pizza box supports by employing three or more holes in the top of the platform for accommodating the legs of the pizza support. In other words, one pizza support is stacked on top of another by placing the legs of a top pizza support through the holes in the platform of a bottom pizza support. In this manner, one pizza support can be stacked on top of another, thereby reducing the volume of the pizza supports by at least 50%. By employing as many as 9 holes in the platform, four pizza supports can be stacked on one another.
Furthermore, once the pizza supports have been stacked one on top of another, they can be packaged by mating the stacked pizza supports such that the legs of one stack of pizza supports faces the legs of another stack of pizza supports. This likewise reduces the volume necessary for shipping and storage of the pizza supports.
Broadly, the stackable pizza box support of .the present invention comprises:
(a) a circular platform having a circumferential edge, a planar bottom side and a planar top side;
(b) three legs, said legs being equally spaced around said circumferential edge of said platform, each of said legs affixed at one end and extending perpendicular from said bottom side of said platform, each of said legs being equal in length; and
(c) three holes extending through said platform, said holes being equally spaced around said circumferential edge of said platform and equidistance between said legs, each of said holes having a diameter large enough to allow said legs to pass through said holes so as to allow stacking of said support.
The number of holes in the platform can be increased from three to six or nine, depending on the number of pizza supports that are stacked one on top of the other. The preferred number of holes, however, is three.
The holes are preferably circular, such that they can accommodate the legs of the upper pizza support, however, the hole can be arcuately shaped so as to accommodate two or more legs. Thus, although there is one hole, the hole itself is arcuate and is of such a dimension that two or three legs can fit through the hole.
The legs are circular in cross section and preferably taper such that the end affixed to the bottom of the platform has a larger diameter than the other end, the end which makes contact with the end of the pizza. The cross-section of the legs, however, is not critical to the present invention but must be taken into account when forming the hole in the platform since the hole must accommodate the leg and allow the leg to pass therethrough. Suitably, the leg has a diameter in the range of about 0.25 inch.
The platform itself generally has a diameter of about 1 inch to about 4 inches and, preferably, about 2 inches and a thickness of about 0.05 inch. The legs are suitably 1.5 inches in length and taper as noted above.
These and other aspects may be more readily understood by reference to one or more of the following drawings.